bart.govhttp://www.bart.gov/news/rss
enTrain Talk: Twitter town hall set for March 3rd at noonhttp://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2015/news20150227-0
<p><img alt="Twitter townhall flyer" height="268" src="/sites/default/files/images/news/TwitterTownhall.png" style="margin:4px; float:right" width="215" />Join us and BART Board President Tom Blalock on March 3rd from noon to 1 pm for a town hall style discussion about the future of BART- on Twitter!&nbsp;</p><p>We&rsquo;ll be facilitating a discussion centering on our plans to build a better BART system.&nbsp; From maintenance musings to capacity concerns, we&rsquo;ll be providing a space to have a relevant and timely discussion about how we can move forward as a community in transit.&nbsp; Joining the Board President will be BART&rsquo;s top Operations, Maintenance / Engineering, and Station Modernization staff.</p><p>We will be answering as many questions as possible in the time allowed, and will make every effort to respond to all queries&mdash;even after the moderated discussion is over.</p><p>Read more about how to use Twitter at <a href="http://www.twitter.com">http://www.twitter.com</a>, and join if you haven&rsquo;t already!</p>Friday, February 27, 2015BARThttp://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2015/news20150227-0Phase II electrical work starts March 9 at MacArthur Stationhttp://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2015/news20150227
<p>Starting the week of March 9, 2015, we will finish up Phase I and begin Phase II of the electrical work at MacArthur Station by moving the scaffolding from the north side of the station to the south side and sectioning off areas of the station to do the needed electrical work.</p><p>Because there is some asbestos dust contamination in the work areas, they will be contained and decontaminated before the work begins. There will be on-site monitoring of the air quality in the work areas and each section will be under containment protocols while the work is going on and there will be a BART safety monitor present.</p><p>Once the scaffolding has been moved there will be no ceiling on the north side of the station for approximately 1 week. Between March 16 and 30, a new ceiling and lighting will be installed. This work will not require scaffolding.</p><p>Bike racks that were relocated from the north side will be returned to their original position, while others will be relocated from the south side to the plaza area. There will be no reduction in the number of racks.</p><p>When the work is completed you should notice lighting improvements throughout the station. The safety of our customers and employees is our top priority. The work should be completed in June. Please <a href="/sites/default/files/docs/MacArthur%20map%20Phase%20II%20Electrical.pdf">click here</a> to see the .pdf map of&nbsp;the work locations.</p><p>The area&nbsp;between the escalators and stairs will be blocked. The stairs and escalators will continue to be available for use. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you.</p><p>Some of the work areas may block your normal path of travel but there will always be an alternate path available. Please plan to allow some additional time to reach your train and follow the signs and directions of the work crews.</p>Friday, February 27, 2015BARThttp://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2015/news20150227Recent measles exposure on BART; risk of infection lowhttp://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2015/news20150226
<p>Some BART riders may have been exposed to measles last week after a San Mateo County resident with measles commuted from Millbrae station to Civic Center station while infectious. The risk of contracting measles via BART is negligible, though Bay Area residents should be aware of the situation.&nbsp;</p><p>San Mateo County Public Health officials confirmed the case and issued an advisory today after learning the person traveled on BART before being diagnosed. The overwhelming majority people are not at risk thanks to high vaccination rates against measles, but unvaccinated people are at risk of infection&nbsp; if exposed to the virus. BART uses industrial-strength disinfectant to clean its trains at the end of the line during the day and each night, and will continue to do so as a matter of course.</p><p>The person traveled on a Richmond-bound train between the Millbrae and Civic Center stations between 4:30 and 5:00 pm on Friday, February 20th.</p><p>People who are vaccinated (or have had measles before) are extremely unlikely to catch the virus, even if they have contact with a contagious person. However, those who were not previously vaccinated are at high risk if exposed. Measles is a serious, highly contagious viral disease that is spread through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Health officials urge anyone who shows symptoms of measles to contact their healthcare provider immediately.</p><p>&ldquo;Measles is a highly contagious disease, a dangerous disease for many people, such as infants, and most important, it&rsquo;s a preventable disease,&rdquo; said Dr. Scott Morrow, San Mateo County Health Officer. &ldquo;The measles vaccine is safe, and being vaccinated not only protects you and your family, but every child and person in your community. I strongly urge everyone to get vaccinated and help stop the spread of measles.&rdquo;</p><p>People born before 1957 are considered immune as they likely had measles as children and developed immunity from the disease. Adults born after 1957 should review their vaccination records to ensure they have received the MMR vaccine or talk to their regular healthcare provider for questions about immunization status. Pregnant women, the elderly, infants and people who are HIV positive / immunocompromised are considered to be at high risk for measles if they are not vaccinated.</p><p>Measles symptoms can begin one to three weeks after exposure and include high fever, runny nose, coughing and watery red eyes. A rash develops on the face and neck two to three days after the fever begins, and spreads down the body. The rash usually lasts five or six days. An infected person is contagious for several days before and after the rash appears.</p><p>Additional information is available on the CDC website at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.cdc.gov/measles/index.html" target="_blank">http://www.cdc.gov/measles/index.html</a>&nbsp;or for California Department of Public Health (CDPH) outbreak information, visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.cdc.gov/measles/" target="_blank">http://www.cdc.gov/measles/</a></p>Thursday, February 26, 2015BARThttp://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2015/news20150226BART Board votes to change Fleet of Future floor planhttp://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2015/news20150226-0
<p>The BART Board voted to approve an agreement between BART and disability advocates to address concerns raised by disability organizations regarding the floor plan for BART&rsquo;s Fleet of the Future.&nbsp; The Fleet of the Future is the name used by BART for the program to replace BART&rsquo;s aging fleet, and increase the size of the fleet to relieve crowding on the system.&nbsp; The first new cars are slated to go into service in Fall 2016.&nbsp; This agreement was between BART and the following three disability advocacy organizations: the California Foundation for Independent Living Centers (&ldquo;CFILC&rdquo;), Community Resources for Independent Living (&ldquo;CRIL&rdquo;), the Independent Living Resource Center of San Francisco (&ldquo;ILRCSF&rdquo;), and two individuals: Nikki Brown-Booker and Reba Landry.&nbsp; These organizations and individuals have been represented by Disability Rights Advocates (&ldquo;DRA&rdquo;) &ndash; a nonprofit legal center - in reaching a compromise agreement with BART. &nbsp;Disability Rights California also participated in the negotiations.</p><p>The agreement changes the floor plan on the new train cars to consolidate all wheelchair zones at the middle door of each new train car, which will allow passengers with more than one wheelchair user in their group to be closer together when they ride BART.&nbsp;&nbsp; Under the plan, BART also agrees to remove all floor-to-ceiling poles in the middle door area to maximize accessible paths.</p><p>The new plan retains tripod poles at end doors for semi-ambulatory people with disabilities, senior citizens, and others who need extra stability as the train accelerates and decelerates.&nbsp;&nbsp; There will be signage on the outside of the trains showing which doors have parking areas for people who use wheelchairs, and which doors have bicycle parking.&nbsp; Under the agreement, BART and the disability organizations will work together to inform passengers with disabilities about the new floor plan, pictured below.</p><p><img alt="Picture of new floor plan with no middle door pole" height="83" src="/sites/default/files/images/news/Floor%20plan%20middle%20door%20no%20pole_1.png" title="floor plan" width="541" /></p><p>The compromise agreement keeps the same number of seats, wheelchair areas, and bike areas as the floor plan approved by the BART Board in June 2014, and still maintains an almost 50% increase in priority seating for seniors and people with disabilities (shown in green above).&nbsp; Blind customers will always find priority seating immediately to their left as they enter the car.</p><p>The revised plan was endorsed by the BART Accessibility Task Force (BATF), BART&rsquo;s advisory group representing people with disabilities, last month.&nbsp; Alan Smith, BATF Chair, said &ldquo;the new plan provides diverse amenities to meet diverse needs within the disability community.&nbsp; People with some types of disabilities who need something stable to hold onto when the train accelerates or decelerates will find tripod poles at the end doors of each car, while people with other types of disabilities who prefer a wide open accessible path will find that at the middle doors.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;BART takes pride in enhancing mobility for people with disabilities, and we are pleased to approve this agreement with DRA,&rdquo; said BART Board President Tom Blalock. &ldquo;This agreement paves the way for arrival of the first ten pilot cars to confirm the reliability and safety of the new cars this fall.&rdquo;</p><p>Nikki Brown-Booker, a wheelchair-user who rides BART several times a week said, &ldquo;I am looking forward to the new BART cars and relieved to know that I can continue to rely on BART to get where I need and want to go.&nbsp; I also look forward to being able to ride together with other wheelchair-users when we travel together.&rdquo;</p><p>Sheri Burns, Executive Director of CRIL stated, &ldquo;We are pleased that BART has listened to the concerns of the disability community and worked with us to negotiate a solution that did not require us to go to court to enforce the rights of people with disabilities.&rdquo;</p><p>Teresa Favuzzi, Executive Director of CFILC said, &ldquo;We recognize that this design is a compromise, and while many riders with vision and mobility disabilities would be best served by having no floor-to-ceiling poles in the new BART cars, we are pleased that the new fleet of BART cars will meet the needs of a diverse group of riders with disabilities.&rdquo;</p><p>DRA staff attorney Rebecca Williford said, &ldquo;This compromise marks a historic moment and a win for the local disability community, many of whom rely exclusively on public transportation.&nbsp; BART has done the right thing in working out a compromise to ensure that this access continues.&rdquo;</p><p><strong>Bike Space to be Tested</strong></p><p>The Board also voted to test various bike space scenarios using the 10 test trains cars. &nbsp;Six test train cars will have a bike rack at one end door. Two test train cars will have one area of flexible family/open space for bikes, luggage, strollers and families at one end door and no bike rack. &nbsp;Two additional test trains will have both a bike rack at one door and flexible family/open space at another door.&nbsp;<span style="line-height:1.6em">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></p>Thursday, February 26, 2015BARThttp://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2015/news20150226-0New Uptown Oakland Bike Station now openhttp://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2015/news20150225-0
<p>Cyclists of all stripes are celebrating the grand opening of the new Bike Station in uptown Oakland, a one-stop shop that not only provides free, secure bike parking but also a range of services from wheel truing to u-lock sales.</p><p>Using the station couldn&rsquo;t be more easy and accessible&mdash;pedal to the front door and a bike station employee will greet you, take your bike and secure it free of charge between the hours of 7:00 am and 9:00 pm.&nbsp; Overnight storage is also available for $5 per night, if desired. <img alt="Uptown Oakland Bike Station Exterior Photograph" height="234" src="/sites/default/files/images/news/BS.png" style="border-width:0px; border-style:solid; margin:5px; float:right" width="313" /></p><p>A number of municipal and transportation leaders joined a throng of excited cycling enthusiasts Wednesday morning to officially open the station to public service.&nbsp;</p><p>Located on the corner of 19th and Broadway in uptown Oakland, the Bike Station is the culmination of a partnership between BART, the City of Oakland, Bike East Bay and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.</p><p>&quot;Bicycles are a critical component of the Bay Area&#39;s transportation equation,&quot; said BART Director Robert Raburn. &quot;At BART, we&#39;re committed to cyclists, and this new Bike Station will help meet the needs of our community as we move forward.&quot;</p><p>A great deal of research and discussion went into the planning of the Bike Station to ensure it was growing and encouraging the bike market as a whole, rather than directly competing with local bike shops.</p><p>While the Bike Station offers a variety of basic biking accessories for sale such as helmets and lights and offers in-station tune-ups and maintenance, bike sales still remain the business of bike stores.</p><p>The new 19th street establishment joins four other BART Bike Stations located at Fruitvale, Ashby, Embarcadero and Downtown Berkeley BART stations.</p>Wednesday, February 25, 2015BARThttp://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2015/news20150225-0BART to hold a community meeting to discuss the Pittsburg Center Station, Feb 26http://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2015/news20150224
<p><span style="line-height:1.6em">BART is holding a community meeting at Pittsburg City Hall in order to provide information on the benefits and the construction impacts of Pittsburg Center Station. This station is part of the eBART Project, which is planned to run from the Pittsburg/Bay Point BART Station eastward along the median of State Route (SR) 4 to the City of Antioch. The proposed Pittsburg Center Station will be located in the center median of SR 4 at Railroad Avenue in the City of Pittsburg.</span></p><p>Date:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Thursday, February 26, 2015</p><p>Time:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.</p><p>Location:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Pittsburg City Hall, Council Chamber</p><p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 65 Civic Avenue, Pittsburg, CA&nbsp; 94565</p><p>For more information and for language assistance services, and to view the draft eBART Pittsburg Center Station Title VI/Environmental Justice (EJ) Report, please refer to the following link: <a href="http://www.bart.gov/about/projects/ecc">www.bart.gov/about/projects/ecc&nbsp;</a></p>Tuesday, February 24, 2015BARThttp://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2015/news20150224BART Board to discuss changes to Fleet of the Future floor planhttp://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2015/news20150224-0
<p>The BART Board of Directors will meet Thursday, Feb. 26, at 5 pm to consider a range of topics, including changes to the floor plan of the new <a href="http://www.bart.gov/cars">Fleet of the Future</a> train cars to better accommodate people with disabilities.</p><p>The meeting will be held in the BART Board Room at the Kaiser Center, located at 300 20th Street in Oakland and will be streamed live at <a href="http://www.bart.gov/">www.bart.gov/board</a>.&nbsp; The full agenda is <a href="http://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/docs/agendas/02-26-15%20Agenda%20Packet.pdf">available to download as a PDF</a>.</p><p><strong>FLEET OF THE FUTURE</strong></p><p>The Board will be asked to authorize changes to the proposed floor plan for the new train cars replacing BART&rsquo;s aging fleet. The changes come after discussion with accessibility advocates concerned, in particular, about tripod poles near doors and their impact on wheelchair users.&nbsp;</p><p>In the modified design, wheelchair zones are moved from end doors to the middle door and the tripod pole near the middle door is removed to maximize accessible paths. Tripod poles remain in place at the end doors for people who need extra stability &ndash; something to hang on to &ndash; as the train starts and stops.&nbsp;</p><p>Bike accommodations have been moved from the middle to the end door. Bike racks will be tested on eight cars, with flexible open space tested on two cars. Large signs will be posted on the exterior of the train cars to identify wheelchair and bike spaces. The new design keeps the same number of seats, wheelchair areas and bikes areas as the previous layout.&nbsp;</p><p><strong>BUDGET, CLIPPER CARD, PUBLIC SAFETY, QUARTERLY PERFORMANCE</strong></p><p>The Board also will consider a number of informational items of interest.</p><p><strong>BUDGET:</strong> The Board will review BART&rsquo;s 2015 budget performance and look at priorities for fiscal year 2016, which begins July 1, 2015. The focus is on continued safety and reliability as ridership grows, straining our aging infrastructure.</p><p><strong>CLIPPER:</strong> The Board will hear about Clipper, the regional smart card currently accepted on 13 Bay Area transit systems with plans to expand to more systems. &nbsp;New technology options for the future will be discussed, such as being able to use your your mobile device in lieu of a card.</p><p><strong>PUBLIC SAFETY:</strong> BART Police Chief Kenton Rainey will discuss progress on public safety initiatives, including recruiting, training, station-by-station crime data and community-oriented policing practices.</p><p><strong>QUARTERLY PERFORMANCE REPORT: </strong>Finally, the Board will hear the Quarterly Performance Report &ndash; the &ldquo;report card&rdquo; that measures a number of important benchmarks&nbsp;such as on-time performance, cleanliness, escalator availability and customer complaints.</p><p><strong>TAKE BART TO THE BOARD MEETING</strong></p><p>The Kaiser Center is easily accessible by BART- exit the 19th Street BART station in Oakland and make your way two blocks east on 20th street / Thomas L Berkley Way.</p>Tuesday, February 24, 2015BARThttp://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2015/news20150224-0New station poster series feature San Francisco artist http://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2015/news20150223
<p>&nbsp;</p><p><img alt="test" src="/sites/default/files/images/news/Monico-Picture-Small_Gina.jpg" style="width:117px; height:160px; float:right; margin:4px" /><span style="line-height:1.6em">BART riders are noticing evocative new art posters popping up throughout the stations. </span><span style="line-height:1.6em">The illustrations are the latest in BART&rsquo;s transit poster program. This series of three images, entitled &ldquo;The Wanderer,&rdquo; is the work of artist Monico Chavez. We caught up with Monico at a restaurant not too far from his Mission District home.</span></p><p><em>Q:&nbsp; &ldquo;The title of the transit poster program is &lsquo;Welcome Aboard the Bay Area.&rsquo; Tell us what that means to you.&rdquo; </em></p><p>A: &ldquo;I feel like the journey on BART is magical. Before I moved to the Bay Area I had never ridden public transportation. I grew up in rural southern Oregon. You had to drive 30 minutes just to get to the nearest town. So when I came here and started riding public transportation, BART seemed like a magical thing. You don&rsquo;t need a car, you just have a Clipper card and you can go all the way out into the forest practically from downtown. That&rsquo;s the kind of wonder I wanted to capture.&rdquo;</p><p><img alt="Image of the three art posters by the artist; feature a train wondering through hills, cliff escape, and bay. " src="/sites/default/files/images/news/Monico%201_0.jpg" style="width:436px; height:336px; margin:4px" /></p><p><em>Q: &ldquo;Was there any particular experience you had on BART that inspired you?&rdquo;</em></p><p>A: &ldquo;When I first met with the BART Team, they said you should probably ride the system. So, my girlfriend and I rode the system from one end to the other, stopping at all the stations, taking photos. That&rsquo;s really where I got the idea for the journey of a train from an outer station into the downtown. When you see those outer stations, the environment is so different. You get to the urban environment and have a totally different feeling. I wanted to have that transition of day to night. I think that&rsquo;s how people experience on BART. You go to work in the morning. You take BART back home and it&rsquo;s dusk.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p><p><em>Q: &ldquo;Tell us how you see the train in this series of images, &lsquo;the Wanderer?&rsquo;&rdquo;</em></p><p>A: &ldquo;The other artists before have made the public the main characters. &nbsp;I wanted to focus on the train as the main character. The world presented in the poster is as the train sees it. I wanted to harken back to 50s advertising art and the work of [Miroslav] Sasek, the artist who did the &ldquo;This is San Francisco&rdquo; children&rsquo;s book. Almost a throw back poster to what BART would have had in the 50s if it was around back then. &ldquo;</p><p><em>Q: &ldquo;Is there something about these BART rides in your posters that reflects the diversity of the Bay Area versus where you grew up in Southern Oregon?&rdquo;</em></p><p>A: &ldquo;That&rsquo;s part of what I focused on in the art style itself. Something everyone could enjoy. A small child riding BART or someone who&rsquo;s just going to work. You can enjoy it under any circumstance. Something that is welcoming and positive.&rdquo;</p><p><em>Q: &ldquo;Hundreds of thousands of people use BART every day. What do you hope to convey to those people?&rdquo; </em></p><p>A: &ldquo;In the posters I&rsquo;m trying to reflect my view of BART. My experience, how I view it, my aesthetic. I&rsquo;m trying to get people to look at the posters and reflect. This is a magical experience, taking it from one end of the Bay Area to the other. You&rsquo;re at your suburban house and 30 minutes later you&rsquo;re in an urban center. You forget about how strange that could seem to someone 100 years ago. I&rsquo;m trying to reflect that magical nature of the trip.&rdquo;</p><p><em>Q: &ldquo;How is exhibiting your work in BART stations different from other venues such as a gallery or magazine cover?&rdquo;</em></p><p>A: &ldquo;I experimented with some different styles. I wanted to make something that was open, positive, and felt unique in the stations. I saw earlier posters from this program in the stations before I even knew what they were and they caught my eye. They feel kind of like advertisements but they also don&rsquo;t feel like advertisements. You look at them long enough and you see something else in there. I thought, &lsquo;these are really cool, really interesting.&rsquo; I wanted to continue that tradition of something that feels like it has a place in the station but also feels like an individual produced it.</p><p><img alt="Image of the artist&#039;s cat playing with the sea creatures featured in his work." src="/sites/default/files/images/news/Monico%203.jpg" style="width:336px; height:448px; margin:1px 4px" /></p><p>It&rsquo;s different from a gallery show. A gallery show - it&rsquo;s all about me whereas these reflect me but everyone can enjoy it. The most exciting thing about it is that I have had stuff in movies and t.v. shows but no one knew it was my work. This is different because everyone in the Bay Area is going to see something that I put a lot of my own ideas and my style into it. This is the first time I&rsquo;m going to have something that is truly my own voice.&rdquo;</p><p><em>Q: &ldquo;Anything else?&rdquo;</em></p><p>&ldquo;I would love to hear what people say. I would love to hear the comments of random people who live in the Bay Area who just have a connection with art and how they react. They should post it on social media and I will find it.&rdquo;</p><p>The &ldquo;Welcome Aboard the Bay Area&rdquo; transit poster program is designed to provide riders with an opportunity to enjoy original artwork while traveling through the BART system.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p>Monday, February 23, 2015BARThttp://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2015/news20150223Temporary entrance change at MacArthur Stationhttp://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2015/news20150219-0
<p>Starting February 23, 2015 we begin work in preparation of removing and replacing the security grilles at the entrance to MacArthur station. The work will take approximately 11 weeks to complete.</p><p>Because there is some asbestos dust contamination in the work areas, they will be contained and decontaminated before the work begins. There will be on-site monitoring of the air quality in the work areas and each section will be under containment protocols while the work is going on and there will be a BART safety monitor present.</p><p>The grille work will require that the entrances to the station be changed while the security grilles are being replaced and usual routes through the station will be affected. <a href="/sites/default/files/docs/MacArthur%20Station%20Grille%20Replacement%20Map.pdf">Click here</a> to see a map.&nbsp;There will be signs indicating the new entrance paths. The work will occur in two phases. During each phase, there will be scaffolding above and a temporary wall constructed in front of the fare gates. The first phase will be to the right of the station agent booth and the second phase will be to the left. Access will be limited to an 8 foot-wide door in the temporary wall on the side where work is being done.&nbsp;</p><p>We realize that this will be inconvenient for you and appreciate your patience during this important work.</p>Thursday, February 19, 2015BARThttp://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2015/news20150219-0Security grille replacement at Pleasant Hill/Contra Costa Centre Stationhttp://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2015/news20150219-1
<p>Starting February 23, 2015 we begin work in preparation of removing and replacing the security grilles at the entrance to this station. The grille work will begin Monday, February 23 and most of the work will take place late in the evening or after service stops. The entrance will not be closed while the security grilles are being replaced and usual routes through the station should not be affected. After the station closes, temporary chain link fencing will be installed across the entrance to secure the station. The work should take less than a week.</p><p>If it becomes necessary to close off part of the entrance briefly during service hours, we will post signs and place cones and safety tape in the area and a safety inspector will be present.&nbsp;</p><p>We realize that this will be inconvenient for you and appreciate your patience during this important maintenance work.</p>Thursday, February 19, 2015BARThttp://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2015/news20150219-1